Antitrust says opens intra-network roaming case against VimpelCom

MOSCOW, Mar 12 (PRIME) -- Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service has opened a case against VimpelCom, one of the country’s biggest mobile operators, after checking a report on abolition of intra-network roaming, the authority said on Monday in a statement.

“The submitted report on cancellation of intra-network roaming does not correspond to the requirements described in the warnings. The price the operator offers for incoming and outgoing long-distance calls during trips across Russia is unreasonably high,” the statement read.

A VimpelCom spokesperson said that its plan to change the tariffs for trips across the country fully complies with the watchdog’s requirements.

“We think the plan we have offered implements the warnings of the Federal Antimonopoly Service to exclude a difference in prices on transfer of voice information, SMSs, and data transfer in trips in the country as compared to the prices for connection services in the home region fully,” the spokesperson said.

VimpelCom’s subscribers will be able soon to use connection services at the same terms as in their home region, the spokesperson said.

The service earlier opened cases against VimpelCom’s competitors, MTS and MegaFon, for similar violations.

“Since the warnings have not been respected, the Federal Antimonopoly Service decided to open cases against the big three operators for violating the antitrust law. Upon consideration, if the violation is confirmed, the authority could issue a warning to pay the income received as a result of breaching the antimonopoly law to the budget,” Deputy Director Anatoly Golomolzin said.